Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Parking: Codes of Practice

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to reintroduce the parking code of practice.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, when he plans to issue a new code of practice.

Jacob Young: The Government is taking action to improve the regulation of the private parking industry.We have recently concluded a call for evidence, and intend to publish an impact assessment and consultation on parking charge and debt recovery limits in the near future.We are working alongside all relevant stakeholders including industry bodies and consumer groups to implement the Code of Practice as soon as possible.

Local Government: Bankruptcy

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to prevent local authorities from declaring bankruptcy.

Simon Hoare: Having listened to councils, on 24 January the government announced additional measures for local authorities in England, worth £600 million. This includes £500 million of new funding for councils with responsibility for adults and children’s social care, distributed through the Social Care Grant.Taking into account this new funding, local government in England will see an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £4.5 billion next year, or 7.5% in cash terms, an above-inflation increase, rising from £60.2 billion in 2023-24 to up to £64.7 billion in 2024-25.Individual councils are responsible for managing their budgets, and any decision to issue a Section 114 notice is made locally.The department monitors the financial health of councils on a regular basis using a range of data as well as through extensive direct engagement. We stand ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances or faces pressures it has not planned for.

Electoral Register: British Nationals Abroad

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will publish the number of registered voters living overseas per constituency including the country they are residing in.

Simon Hoare: The data is not held centrally.

Refugees: Afghanistan

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (a) approved and (b) eligible Afghans are being housed under homeless provisions.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy applicants pending a decision were reporting as homeless as of 30 January 2024.

Felicity Buchan: On the number of Afghan households previously housed in Home Office hotel accommodation who have since become homeless, please refer to my answer to Question UIN 6726 on 20 December 2023.The department published data on Afghan homelessness following the closure of Home Office provided bridging accommodation and it can be found at the following link.

Cladding Safety Scheme: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many residential buildings have registered with the Cladding Safety Scheme in (a) Romford and (b) Havering.

Lee Rowley: There have been zero applications into the Cladding Safety Scheme for buildings located within the parliamentary constituency of Romford. Two applications have been made from buildings within the London Borough of Havering.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Sanctions

Liam Byrne: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will publish his Department's review of sanctions architecture.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We keep our sanctions under constant review to ensure that they are as impactful and effective as possible. This includes keeping under review how the UK's sanctions framework and architecture best supports that. To that end, we have amended the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 through recent Economic Crime Acts to reflect our learning during the first five years of operation of the Act.

Pakistan: Christianity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what (a) information his Department holds on and (b) steps his Department is taking to help tackle the (i) abduction and (ii) forced conversion of Christian girls and women in Pakistan.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Protecting women's rights is central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. The UK funded Accountability, Inclusion and Modern Slavery programme works to address gender-based violence by raising awareness of early and forced marriages. Our online hate speech programme is helping to make digital spaces safer for women.  The UK will continue to support civil society and NGOs in lobbying the Government of Pakistan to honour its international commitments on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and women's rights.

Antisemitism

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the International Court of Justice case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) on global trends in antisemitism.

Leo Docherty: We respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, we have stated that we have considerable concerns about this case, which is not helpful in the goal of achieving a sustainable ceasefire. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with IHL, as we have said from the outset.Our view is that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we considered South Africa's decision to bring this case was wrong and provocative.Antisemitism is evil and has absolutely no place in our - or any - society, and we are committed to tackling it in all its forms.The UK will take on the presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in March 2024 for one year, which comes ahead of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the 25th anniversary of the Stockholm Declaration on Holocaust remembrance in January 2025.

UNRWA: Finance

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of funding for the UN relief and works agency for palestine refugees in the near east (UNRWA) in the context of Israeli military action in Gaza and the West Bank.

Leo Docherty: The UK is appalled by allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. The UK is pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations.We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it, and our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands, and we are getting on with aid delivery through funding multiple implementing partners including other UN agencies and international and UK NGOs. This support is helping people in Gaza get food, water, shelter and medicines. The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.

UNRWA: Finance

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of some countries pausing funding to the UN relief and works agency for palestine refugees in the near east (UNRWA) on the humanitarian response in Gaza.

Leo Docherty: The UK is appalled by allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. The UK is pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations.We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it, and our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands, and we are getting on with aid delivery through funding multiple implementing partners including other UN agencies and international and UK NGOs. This support is helping people in Gaza get food, water, shelter and medicines. The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.

Gaza: Israel

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the Israeli government's compliance with the provisional measures set forth by the International Court of Justice in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).

Leo Docherty: We regularly review advice about Israel's capability and commitment to International Humanitarian Law, and acts in accordance with that advice.We respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, we have stated that we have considerable concerns about this case, which is not helpful in the goal of achieving a sustainable ceasefire. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with International Humanitarian Law, as we have said from the outset. Our view is that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we thought South Africa's decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative. However, we welcome the Court's call for the immediate release of hostages and the need to get more aid into Gaza. We are clear that an immediate pause is necessary to get aid in and hostages out, and then we want to build towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to the fighting.

Middle East: UN Agencies

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to the UN on the potential steps it can take to ensure it has the confidence of donor nations in relation to the operations of its relief and works agencies in the Middle East.

David Rutley: We are appalled by allegations that United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. We are pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations. We are looking to our partners in the UN to carry out a robust and comprehensive investigation. In the meantime, we are getting on with aid delivery through funding multiple implementing partners including other UN agencies and international and UK NGOs. This support is helping people in Gaza get food, water, shelter and medicines.

Israel: Palestinians

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much aid was given to civil society organisations in Israel and Palestine whose explicit aims include working towards a two-state solution in each of the financial years (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) OPTs-Israel Programme also supports Tech 2 Peace, I'lam - Arab Centre for Media Freedom, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) and Project Rozana which work to support engagement and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, thereby building stronger constituencies and prospects for peace. We also support local organisations such as COMET-ME, who work to keep Palestinians on their land in Area C of the West Bank.Through our Empowering Palestinian Institutions and Civil Society (EPICS) programme, we have an accountable grant with AMAN (the Coalition for Integrity and Accountability), which seeks to combat corruption and promote integrity, transparency and accountability in Palestinian society. It incorporates a number of civil society organizations working in the field of democracy, human rights and good governance.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Stonewall

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much funding his Department has provided to Stonewall in each year since 2019.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO works closely with a range of civil society organisations to defend the human rights of LGBT+ people around the world. Since 2018, Stonewall has delivered a number of projects in support of UK foreign policy priorities. This has included supporting the UK and Argentina as one of three civil society co-chairs of the Equal Rights Coalition; supporting LGBT+ women globally; addressing violence and hate crime in the Western Balkans and Asia and evacuating vulnerable LGBT+ people from Afghanistan. The FCDO withdrew from Stonewall Diversity Champions programme in 2022 and have not funded any Stonewall programmes related to internal diversity and inclusion since, to ensure value for money to the taxpayer.Financial YearProgramme Spend2018/19£102,9692019/20£114,9442020/21£152,0672021/22£585,4362022/23£173,0342023/24 (as of 29/01/2024)£0

South Africa: Antisemitism

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's travel advice on the safety of South Africa for British Jews.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating his Department's travel advice for British Jewish travellers to South Africa, in the context of recent trends in levels of antisemitism in that country.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Antisemitism has no place in our or any society and we strongly condemn it.FCDO's travel advice is constantly under review and regularly updated to ensure the safety of British Nationals travelling to and living in South Africa.The 'safety and security' page of our South Africa travel advice currently includes a section on the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Libya: IRA

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Libyan counterparts on compensation for UK victims of Libyan-sponsored IRA terrorism.

David Rutley: The UK Government reiterates its sympathy for UK victims of Qaddafi-sponsored terrorism and indeed all victims of the Troubles. It is important that the UK Government pursues fairness and consistency in the provision of support to victims of terrorism and access to publicly funded compensation schemes. The UK's position with regards to victims of Libyan-sponsored IRA terrorism is that it is the responsibility of the Libyan Government to provide compensation. The UK Government cannot lawfully use frozen Libyan assets to provide compensation to victims as doing so would break international law and our obligations as members of the UN. We will continue to press the Libyan authorities to address the Libyan State's historic responsibility for the Qaddafi regime's support for the IRA.

British Nationals Abroad: Detainees

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has taken recent steps to improve the Government’s effectiveness in achieving the release of British nationals overseas.

David Rutley: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) consular staff are available to offer appropriate and tailored support to British nationals and their families, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. Consular staff work tirelessly to give support to the c.4000 British nationals who are arrested or detained each year. We tailor the consular assistance we provide to British nationals who have been arrested or detained abroad depending on their specific circumstances. This includes raising individual cases with the relevant overseas authorities, including at Ministerial level, where appropriate. The FCDO seek continuously to improve our processes and services by acting on feedback and reviewing what we do.

Elaheh Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamedi

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the release from prison on bail of (a) Niloufar Hamedi and (b) Elaheh Mohammadi in Iran.

David Rutley: We welcome the release of Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi on bail, however it remains within Iran's power to commute their sentences. This case demonstrates the brutal reality of life in Iran for journalists. As a Media Freedom Coalition member, we continue to promote press freedom as a key pillar of human rights infrastructure, and call for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained journalists.

North Korea: South Korea

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his South Korean counterpart on relations with North Korea.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has a close relationship with the Republic of Korea (ROK), as demonstrated by the signing of the Downing Street Accord during the State Visit in November and our support for ROK's election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2024-25. This relationship includes regular discussions on shared interests, including in relation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Foreign Secretary met the then ROK Foreign Minister, Park Jin during the State Visit.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Visits Abroad

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the data entitled FCDO’s ministerial travel, July to September 2022, what the cost was of the accommodation used by the former Secretary of State on her visit to Indonesia from 6 to 8 July 2022.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Overall figures of government spend are regularly published as part of transparency releases. Information on all FCDO ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings from July to September 2022 can be found here [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-july-to-september-2022].Foreign travel is a vital part of diplomacy. It is in the national interest that the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers travel abroad to pursue UK interests. Value for money is taken into account in all travel decisions.

China: Falun Gong

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in China on the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We remain deeply concerned about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and others on the grounds of their religion or belief in China. The environment for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) across China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The British government works with international organisations and networks to promote and protect the freedom of religion or belief for all where it is threatened, including through the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance. The Foreign Secretary set out his concerns about human rights violations in China during his introductory call with China's Foreign Minister on 5 December 2023.

Thailand: British Nationals Abroad

Dave Doogan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many UK nationals died in Thailand in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023; how many such deaths were due to (i) murder, (ii) manslaughter, (iii) accidental death, (iv) unknown or suspicious circumstances and (v) no recorded reason; and how many such deaths were while a person was in police custody.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provided consular assistance in Thailand in a total of 597 new death cases in 2022 and 430 new death cases between 1 January 2023 and 16 October 2023. The data below represents the causes of death as reported to us (by the family or local authorities).The FCDO is not responsible for determining cause of death of British Nationals overseas. Consular staff are not trained to identify nor investigate the causes of death. We do not break down numbers below five to avoid identifying individual cases. The circumstance of the death cases recorded in our case management system on the specific categories of 'accidental', 'murder or manslaughter', 'unknown' (including not recorded) and 'death in custody' are the following.YearAccidentalMurder or ManslaughterUnknown / Not recordedDeath in Custody202281552023 (up to 16 October)11131

Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the potential merits of the UK joining the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Minister of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero work together closely to achieve our international net zero objectives. The UK has no plans to join the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, however we are committed to continued collaboration on phasing out unabated fossil fuels with all international partners.

Home Office

Visas: Ukraine

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has considered the potential merits of extending visas issued under the (a) Ukraine Family Scheme, (b) Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme and (c) the Ukraine Extension Scheme; and whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of such schemes on Government provision for (i) housing, (ii) education and (iii) employment.

Tom Pursglove: We are mindful that permission will start to expire, for the first arrivals under our Ukrainian schemes, from March 2025, and their need for certainty beyond that point to help them to plan ahead. We are keeping the need for a possible extension of permission to remain for those who are here on our Ukraine schemes under consistent review in line with the ongoing war. The Government is providing funding to councils at a rate of £10,500 per person for guests who arrived before 1 January 2023 and £5,900 for guests who arrived after 1 January 2023 under the Homes for Ukraine scheme to enable them to provide support to families to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities. The Government is also providing £150 million of new UK-wide funding in the 2023/24 financial year to local authorities and devolved governments to help support Ukrainian guests move into their own homes and reduce the risk of homelessness.  The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) are also working across government to identify other ways to unblock barriers, helping Ukrainians access employment, commensurate with their skill set, liaising with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). In addition, the Government announced £11.5 million in the Spring Budget 2023 to fund intensive English language courses and employment support for up to 10,000 eligible individuals (across the UK) under the three humanitarian Ukraine visa schemes.

Detention Centres

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many rule 35 reports were issued in detention centres in 2023.

Michael Tomlinson: We regularly publish the data you have requested and it can be found at Immigration Enforcement data: Q3 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The data is placed under the link entitled the same. Please note that quarter 4 (which will contain information from 1 October to 31 December 2023) is due to be published February 2024.

Refugees: Afghanistan

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people approved for relocation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are residing in hotels in the UK as of 30 January 2024.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who are eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are residing in hotels in the UK as of 30 January 2024.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people that have relocated to the UK under the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme are residing in hotels.

Tom Pursglove: The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to resettle.Afghans fleeing persecution and those who served the UK. The latest published Immigration system statistics - (www.gov.uk) show that (up to the end of September 2023) we have brought around 24,600 people to safety from Afghanistan and the region. These statistics also show that:we have resettled 9,839 people under all three of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement scheme (ACRS) pathways;we have relocated 11,684 under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP); and1,674 people were living in interim accommodation (i.e. hotels/serviced accommodation) during this period (though this number changes frequently, and most of those within interim have now moved into settled accommodation) as of September 2023. ACRS and ARAP arrivals correct as of around December 2023, and accommodation data will be reflected in the next release of the Immigration Statistics, which is due around 22 February 2024.

Asylum: Housing

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Annexes (a) C and (b) G of the statement of requirements at schedule 2 of the Asylum Accommodation and Support contracts have been incorporated into the allocation of asylum accommodation policy.

Tom Pursglove: The Allocation of Accommodation policy provides guidance on room sharing across all accommodation sites, including Napier, ex-MoD sites and vessels. The policy includes a suitability criteria which is applied when allocating accommodation to individuals. Accommodation providers are required to consider the suitability criteria, in addition to the Statement of Requirements, when considering whether room sharing is suitable and/or where an individual has any specific needs which have been raised.

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to the Windrush Compensation Scheme have been denied in each quarter since the scheme was launched.

Tom Pursglove: Information relating to the number of Windrush Compensation Scheme claim outcomes which have either been rejected on the grounds of eligibility as they do not quality for consideration under the Scheme, or found to have zero entitlement to compensation following a full consideration, is included in Windrush Compensation Scheme Transparency Data which is published regularly. The latest published data, covering the period up to November 2023, is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-compensation-scheme-data-november-2023. The relevant page is WCS_04.

Department of Health and Social Care

Medical Records: Equality

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timetable is for the publication of the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics; and whether it will be subject to public consultation.

Andrew Stephenson: The Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics Publication Steering Group is reporting to NHS England and the Department this year, which will inform a view on the next steps, including any plans for publication.

Mental Health Services: Schools

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she expects all schools in York to have a designated mental health team.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure that parents with children with mental health challenges receive the support required.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Contracts

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much expenditure was reclaimed (a) nationally and (b) per region by NHS England from primary care dental practices that did not meet contractual targets in (i) 2019-20, (ii) 2020-21, (iii) 2021-22 and (iv) 2022-23; and if she will make an estimate of the total sum that is predicted to be reclaimed by the end of 2023-24 financial year.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Contracts

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS dental practices were in dispute with her Department about reconciling payments for NHS work on 30 January 2024; and what assessment she has made of the (a) clarity and (b) ease of the reconciliation process.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Drugs: Shortages

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to tackle medicine shortages.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Health: Blaydon

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the relationship between the availability of NHS dental care and (a) adult and (b) children dental health in Blaydon constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: From June 2021 to June 2023, 1,099,769 adults saw a National Health Service dentist in the North-East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) area. This is equal to 46% of the adult population in the ICB area, and is higher than the national figure, which was 41% over the same period. Furthermore, from June 2022 to June 2023, 323,155 children saw an NHS dentist in the ICB area. This is equal to 54% of the child population in the ICB area, and is also higher than the national figure, which was 53% over the same period.

Health Visitors

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to (a) tackle shortages of health visitors and (b) help ensure that they are resourced to support parents of children with mental health challenges.

Andrea Leadsom: In 2023/24, local authorities in England received £3.53 billion from the Government to fund public health services. This includes health visits and school nurse services for delivery of the Healthy Child Programme, through the Public Health Grant. As a part of the programme, health visitors undertake holistic assessments in partnership with families, which includes assessment of maternal mental health and infant mental health needs. These assessments cover the parents’ capacity to meet their infant’s needs, the impact and influence of wider family and community, and environmental circumstances. Working with families, health visitors identify the most appropriate level of support and intervention. This includes resources for health visitors to use in supporting families with mental health challenges experienced by both children and parents. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan aims for an increase in health visitor training places by 17% by 2028 and by 73% by 2031. The programmes schedule of interventions is available at the following link:https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/pathways-healthy-child/

Department of Health and Social Care: Ministers' Private Offices

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any refurbishments have been made to ministerial offices in her Department in each of the last two years.

Andrew Stephenson: There was a refurbishment of ministerial offices in 2023 in the Department. There was no refurbishment of ministerial space in 2022.

Dental Services

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of offering incentives to dentists to deliver NHS dentistry.

Andrea Leadsom: We invest more than £3 billion each year to deliver National Health Service dentistry, and we have already introduced reforms designed to incentivise practices to deliver more dental care. These include increasing the amount of money that practices receive for high-need patients and allowing dentists to carry out more than their usual contracted NHS work. This has had the effect of more patients being seen, and a 23% increase in NHS activity in the past year.We are working on our Dentistry Recovery Plan which will be published shortly and will address how we will continue to improve access, particularly for new patients, and how we will make NHS work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver NHS care.

Dentistry: Training

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of equalising dentistry training requirements between the private sector and NHS on (a) NHS budgets and (b) the NHS dentistry workforce.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government’s priority is to ensure that all dentists practising in the United Kingdom are suitably qualified. The General Dental Council (GDC) is responsible for regulating dentistry qualifications and dental professionals within the UK dental register. Only dentists and dental care professionals registered with the GDC can legally practise dentistry in the UK, which applies to both National Health Service and private dentists.In order to deliver NHS dentistry services, dentists must also be included on the Dental Performers List (DPL) managed by NHS England. To be included on the DPL, dentists must complete post-registration dental foundation training, or undertake a structured induction process managed by NHS England.We are working on our Dentistry Recovery Plan which will address how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients, and how we make NHS work more attractive to ensure that NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver NHS care.

Hospitals

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will carry out a national survey to help identify potential spare capacity in NHS hospital buildings; if she will publish a list of NHS hospital buildings with potential spare capacity; and if she will provide guidance to NHS trusts to help ensure that hospital facilities are effectively utilised.

Andrew Stephenson: Individual National Health Service trusts are responsible for the utilisation of their estate. The Government has been clear that it expects NHS organisations to use existing capital budgets and assets to maximum effect.The NHS publishes the annual Estates Returns Information Collection, which contains detailed information on NHS estates. This includes multiple metrics on how space is utilised, including non-clinical space, empty floor areas, and underused floor areas. Individual NHS trusts are responsible for providing the data for the Estates Returns Information Collection and ensuring the accuracy of their returns.Departmental officials continue to work closely with NHS England and NHS Property companies to identify any additional policy enablers which may support further improvement in utilisation, this includes the development of integrated care system level infrastructure strategies in 2024.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of developing a bespoke strategy for children's and young people's mental health.

Maria Caulfield: Following on from our mental health and wellbeing call for evidence in 2022, we decided to develop a Major Conditions Strategy. This strategy will be joined up rather than standalone and will ensure that mental health is considered alongside other physical health conditions, meaning the interactions between the two are reflected in any resulting commitments. The Major Conditions Strategy’s case for change and strategic framework was published on 21 August 2023 and sets out a number of commitments to drive further improvements to support better mental health. The final Major Conditions Strategy is expected to be published later in 2024.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure coordination of children and young people's mental health support across different agencies.

Maria Caulfield: The Department works closely with a number of agencies both inside and outside of the Government to support the mental health of children and young people. This includes working with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to deliver and evaluate innovative, community-based mental health and wellbeing support for young people. This includes 10 early support hubs across England, backed by £4.92 million of new funding until the end of 2024/25. These hubs are open to those aged between 11 and 25 years old, who may not meet the threshold to receive National Health Service support.Our flagship joint programme is the children and young people green paper programme, working across the Department for Education and NHS England. We are ahead of target on delivery of mental health support in schools and colleges and the Department for Education has committed to offer all state schools and colleges a grant to train a senior mental health lead by 2025, with over 14,000 schools and colleges having taken up the offer so far.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling: Regulation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the (a) Gambling Commission and (b) Financial Conduct Authority on potential proposals to regulate companies like Football Index.

Stuart Andrew: The collapse of BetIndex Ltd, the operators of the novel gambling product Football Index, had a significant impact on former customers, and we recognise the frustration and anger that this has caused. As a result, the Government announced an Independent Review, conducted by Malcom Sheehan KC, which looked at how the company had been regulated and identified lessons learned for various agencies. These recommendations have since been implemented.Following the collapse of Football Index, the then-Minister held several meetings with the Gambling Commission, and officials have worked closely with their counterparts at His Majesty’s Treasury on the role of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in this case. I also met representatives from the Football Index Action Group last year and officials from the department are discussing the issues raised by the group with the Gambling Commission.

Cultural Heritage: Tamworth

Sarah Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the condition of heritage assets in Tamworth constituency.

Julia Lopez: Historic England, HM Government's statutory adviser on the historic environment, is responsible for working with all stakeholders to champion historic places and help people to understand, value and care for them. In particular, Historic England has made assessments in relation to Heritage at Risk in Tamworth. There are three entries on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register in the Tamworth constituency:the Deanery wall at Lower Gungate;the Church of St John the Baptist; andthe Fazeley and Bonehill Conservation Area.The Heritage at Risk programme protects and manages the historic environment. Historic England works with owners, friends groups, developers and other stakeholders to find solutions for ‘at risk’ historic places and sites across England.In addition, heritage assets within the Tamworth constituency have benefited from National Heritage Lottery funding totalling £3,553,753 since 1994, including a grant of £555,400 to the scheduled and grade I listed Tamworth Castle in 2016.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Visits Abroad

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's publication on ministerial travel data for July to September 2022, what the cost was of the (a) plane tickets and (b) accommodation used by the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Technology and the Digital Economy on his visit to Indonesia from 30 August to 3 September 2022.

Julia Lopez: The Government publishes on gov.uk details of the total cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals). But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad, nor details of those accompanying them.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Ministers' Private Offices

Sarah Olney: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2024 to Question 11390 on Cabinet Office: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on each of those refurbishments.

Alex Burghart: The Ministerial Offices in 70 Whitehall, redecorated due to water damage in April 2023, cost a total of £19,956.50 exclusive of VAT. The redecoration of the Ministerial Waiting Room in 70 Whitehall with furniture alterations (partly necessary due to historic mould issues, and completed in November 2023) cost a total of £13,359.11 exclusive of VAT. The decoration of the Ministerial corridor (due to complete in March 2024) is taking place as part of planned building-wide programme of annual maintenance. As part of this programme, a number of corridors throughout the building are being repainted. Therefore it is not possible to distinguish the cost of the redecoration of the Ministerial corridor from the wider programme.

UK Trade with EU

Stella Creasy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2024 to Question 11319 on Import Controls, what the cost to business will be of an individual Safety and Security declaration made using the single trade window scheme; and whether this cost will cover (a) the cost of sanitary and phytosanitary checks and (b) the Common User Charge.

Alex Burghart: There will be no charge for businesses to submit Safety and Security information through the Single Trade Window.

Cabinet Office: Ministerial Boxes

Sarah Olney: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.

Alex Burghart: The following table includes the number of lost or stolen ministerial red boxes from the Cabinet Office between 2021 and 2023.  202120222023Lost 000Stolen000 The departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.

Cabinet Office: Visits Abroad

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office Ministerial Overseas Travel Transparency data, what the cost was of the (a) plane tickets and (b) accommodation used by the former President for COP26 on his visits to Indonesia between (i) 15 and 17 February 2022 and (ii) 30 August and 1 September 2022.

Alex Burghart: The Government publishes on gov.uk details of the total cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals).But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad, nor details of those accompanying them.

Civil Partnerships

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of civil partnerships for opposite sex couples have been (a) registered and (b) ended in each year since 2019.

John Glen: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 30th January is attached.UK Statistics Authority response (pdf, 104.2KB)

Government Departments: Sick Leave

Christine Jardine: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2024 to Question 8810 on Cabinet Office: Sick Leave, if he will make an estimate of the total number staff days lost to long term sick absences in each Department in each year since 2015.

John Glen: The tables below provide the estimates requested, long term sick days lost per department (Table 1), along with our preferred measure, Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) per staff year which accounts for workforce size and composition (Table 2). Data is provided for the main Ministerial Departments and excludes those that have been most impacted by Machinery of Government changes, for which times series comparisons between 2015 and 2022 are not possible.Table 1: Long Term Sickness Absence by Main Department, Days Lost, 2015-2022  Long Term Sick Days LostDepartment20152016201720182019202020212022Cabinet Office5,5806,5106,4005,05010,55013,25013,09020,750Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities8,4609,2707,8407,1406,7107,3106,8507,670Department Culture Media and Sport5301,8101,4903,4703,7103,6302,6704,110Department for Environment18,96016,69014,89014,24015,49019,88019,21027,070Department for Education10,9407,9907,89012,37013,87013,8109,58020,410Department for Transport84,92067,81064,43066,56072,71070,13051,95071,260Department for Health and Social Care27,79026,27021,14023,52024,95024,30020,88027,770Department for Work and Pensions261,960221,470234,770239,720276,110311,110243,230383,320HM Customers and Revenue214,960232,220225,420208,810205,770233,750189,360243,040HM Treasury1,5002,0302,8702,1503,1903,0502,7703,990Home Office95,910103,870101,740114,820119,990132,200109,360148,080Ministry of Defence222,240203,240197,180195,440185,100219,600219,380149,690Ministry of Justice442,840414,460403,990372,220398,510434,270435,690596,420Scottish Government83,58080,99088,84097,660109,990123,980111,300134,510Welsh Government23,16023,98022,88022,63023,84017,29014,59020,110Table 2 : Long Term Sickness Absence by Main Department, Average Working Days Lost per Staff Year, 2015-2022  Long Term Average Working Days Lost per Staff YearDepartment20152016201720182019202020212022Cabinet Office1.92.21.91.11.71.71.41.9Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities3.43.83.63.12.42.32.02.0Department Culture Media and Sport1.01.51.42.72.52.11.31.4Department for Environment2.52.42.22.01.82.11.92.4Department for Education3.22.62.02.22.42.21.32.6Department for Transport5.35.34.95.05.35.03.64.9Department for Health and Social Care3.43.23.22.83.13.02.22.6Department for Work and Pensions3.22.93.13.23.74.43.34.5HM Customers and Revenue3.63.73.53.33.43.83.23.9HM Treasury1.21.31.71.11.61.41.11.5Home Office3.63.94.04.44.24.23.44.5Ministry of Defence4.44.14.03.93.84.24.12.8Ministry of Justice6.86.46.45.85.76.16.07.4Scottish Government5.15.05.55.96.46.35.45.9Welsh Government4.24.54.44.54.73.32.83.7Notes:Annual Data for year ending 31 March 20xxSource – Management InformationDays rounded to nearest 10 days, AWDL rounded to 1 decimal placeMinisterial Departments which have been most impacted by Machinery of Government changes over the period, and for which, consistent comparisons are not possible, are not shown.For sickness absence publications see https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence

United Kingdom Security Vetting: Standards

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of clearances were processed by United Kingdom Security Vetting within 95 days in the latest period for which data is available.

John Glen: In December 2023, United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) processed 91.22% of routine initial Developed Vetting cases in 95 days and 8.62% of Developed Vetting review cases. For routine Security Check (SC)/Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) clearances UKSV completed 95.1% of routine cases within 25 days. In 2023, UKSV implemented a stabilisation programme which included an increase in headcount. Under Ministerial direction, UKSV prioritised the recovery of initial Developed Vetting turnaround times, followed by Security Check and Counter Terrorist Check turnaround times. These first two targets were met on time. UKSV is currently focussing efforts to maintain the performance of these and is making good progress to meet the third target to recover the turnaround times of Developed Vetting review cases by the end of March 2024. In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.

Ministry of Justice

Question

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the backlog of criminal court cases.

Mike Freer: We remain committed to reducing the outstanding caseload in the Criminal Court to ensure the swift delivery of justice for court users and have introduced a raft of measures to achieve this aim.In the Crown Court we funded over 100,000 sitting days last financial year and plan to deliver the same again this financial year. Thanks to our investment in judicial recruitment, we expect to have recruited more than 1,000 judges by the end of this financial year.To aid our efforts in the magistrates’ courts, we have invested over £1 million in a programme of work to support the recruitment of new magistrates and launched a new marketing campaign to target a more diverse pool of potential magistrates and raise the overall profile of the magistracy.We are also investing more in our courts across England and Wales. In August 2023, we announced we are investing £220 million for essential modernisation and repair work of our court buildings across the next two years, up to March 2025.

Coroners

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page one of the Government response to the First Report of the Justice Select Committee of Session 2021-22 on The Coroner Service, HC 675, published on 10 September 2021; what his Department's planned timetable is to respond to the Committee's 11 outstanding recommendations.

Mike Freer: We have successfully delivered or are taking forward some of the recommendations which we committed to consider further in our 2021 response to the Justice Committee’s Inquiry into the Coroner Service. However, other priorities, including our key involvement in delivering cross-cutting Government reforms in the death management sector, have meant that we have not been able to progress some of these issues as far as we would have liked. We remain committed to doing so as soon as practicable.

Prison Sentences: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the number of prisoners serving public protection sentences in Wales.

Edward Argar: The table below shows the number of IPP/DPP prisoners in Wales, as at 30 December 2023:RegionRecalledUnreleasedWales11338 On 16 October 2023, the Lord Chancellor announced he would be looking at options to curtail the licence period to restore greater proportionality to IPP/DPP sentences in line with recommendation 8 of the Justice Select Committee’s report, published on 28 September 2022.The Lord Chancellor announced on 28 November 2023, that these changes are being taken forward in the Victims and Prisoners Bill.The new measure will:Reduce the qualifying period which triggers the duty of the Secretary of State to refer an IPP/DPP licence to the Parole Board for termination from ten years to three years;Include a clear statutory presumption that the IPP/DPP licence will be terminated by the Parole Board at the end of the three-year qualifying period;Introduce a provision that will automatically terminate the IPP/DPP licence two years after the three-year qualifying period, in cases where the Parole Board has not terminated the licence, so long as the offender is not recalled in that period; andIntroduce a power to amend the qualifying period by Statutory Instrument. The Lord Chancellor was persuaded by the Committee’s recommendation to reduce the qualifying licence period from 10 years to five years and is going further: reducing the period to three years. These amendments will restore greater proportionality to IPP/DPP sentences and provide a clear pathway to a definitive end to the licence and, therefore, the sentence. In addition to these changes, the actions this Government are taking are working; the number of prisoners serving the IPP sentence who have never been released now stands at 1,227 as of December 2023, down from more than 6000 in 2012.

Young Offenders: Ethnic Groups

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Barnardo's report entitled Double discrimination: Black care-experienced young adults navigating the criminal justice system, published on 21 September 2023, whether he has made an assessment of discrimination affecting Black care-experienced young adults who have involvement with the criminal justice system.

Edward Argar: We are grateful for the work Barnardo's have done to highlight the challenges faced by young black care-experienced people in our criminal justice system, and I was delighted to meet with them on 30 January to discuss the Double Discrimination report. We look forward to working with them further to ensure we are tackling these issues.Across the criminal justice system, we are taking forward an extensive programme of work to tackle unexplained disparities where they are identified. The Inclusive Britain strategy is central to the development of this work and contains some of our flagship efforts.We are also updating our strategy for people with care experience in the criminal justice system, to ensure we are using care-experienced people’s time in the criminal justice system to support them to lead crime-free lives. In this work, we will be building on the work done by Barnardo’s to focus on race and its role in shaping the experiences and outcomes of those with care experience in the criminal justice system, and developing proposals to address this.We are aiming to publish this strategy later this year.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Spiking

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether spiking awareness training is provided for all members of the armed forces.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reports of spiking were recorded by the (a) Army, (b) RAF and (c) Royal Navy last year.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether test kits for spiking are routinely available on military establishments.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Military Units routinely educate and remind personnel of the dangers and risks of spiking, including through mandatory training courses which include material on substance misuse. The Royal Navy recorded 48 reports of alleged spiking in 2023. The Army recorded 62 allegations of spiking in 2023, all of which were made by personnel who had tested positive in Compulsory Drug Tests. The Royal Air Force hold no relevant information. All Royal Navy units, including ships, have on average two urine test kits routinely available. Test kits for drink spiking are not routinely available on Army or Royal Air Force establishments.

Ministry of Defence: Ministerial Boxes

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: There have been no reports of any lost or missing Ministerial Red Boxes within the Ministry of Defence during the last three years. The Departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of ARAP (a) pending, (b) rejected and (c) approved applicants identified as having served in a triples unit are residing in a third country.

James Heappey: In third countries as of 31 January 2024, there are approximately 635 principal applicants awaiting an eligibility decision, 8,513 principal applicants deemed ineligible for relocation under the ARAP scheme, and 458 eligible principal ARAP applicants awaiting onward travel. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of these figures according to job role. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) are committed to support the continued relocation of eligible Afghans and their families out of third countries, and into the UK, as quickly as possible. To date, we have brought approximately 15,300 applicants to safety in the UK under the ARAP scheme.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a comparative assessment of difficulties in recruitment to each of the armed forces.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The current level of Armed Forces recruitment is lower than we would wish, a challenge we face in common with our allies. Each of the single Services within the UK Armed Forces face the same difficulties in what is a particularly challenging and competitive recruitment environment. Defence and the single Services are working together to address these challenges collectively through a range of initiatives. A number of short-term deliverables are being actioned to increasing the inflow into Armed Forces pipelines, all intended to increase the breadth of potential candidates and to drive efficiencies into recruitment systems. These ongoing and new initiatives are focused upon engaging the broad range of skills, experience and diversity needed to deliver that which our nation demands of our Armed Forces; and in the range of roles that are critical to enable this. In June 2023 we committed to implementing the recommendations of the Haythornthwaite Review, a generational independent review of how we retain our current people and attract new ones. Its recommendations relate to policies and processes across a complex system of incentivisation and support. A formal Government Response, which will provide more detail on our approach to tackling each recommendation, will be published in early 2024. This will confirm which recommendations have been - or are in the process of being – delivered. Other initiatives aimed at improving the recruitment and retention of our people include; Flexible Service, which introduces the potential for people to alter their career commitment for set periods of time, allowing more people to remain in the Armed Forces who may otherwise have decided to leave in order to meet competing demands and responsibilities; Wraparound Childcare, which Defence established in recognition of the importance of a robust childcare support system to enable the mobility, recruitment and retention of a Armed Forces personnel; acceptance of the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body’s and Senior Salaries Review Body’s recommendations in full, ensuring that the overall remuneration package for Service personnel (which includes a good pension, subsidised accommodation, and a range of allowances on top of basic salary) remains competitive.

Warrior Vehicles: Repairs and Maintenance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department previously had a policy of cannibalising the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle fleet.

James Cartlidge: Yes.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Horticulture: Peat

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to restrict the sale of horticultural peat under Section 53 and Schedule 7 of the Environment Act 2021.

Rebecca Pow: Government does not believe that this power provides an appropriate vehicle to legislate for a ban on the sale of peat and peat containing products.

Wetlands

Siobhan Baillie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to recommendation 4.10 in the Annex entitled Guidelines for the implementation of the wise use concept in the publication entitled Guidelines for development and implementing National Wetland Policies adopted by Resolution VII.6 of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, whether his Department plans to formulate a National Wetland Strategy.

Rebecca Pow: The UK plays an active role to support and implement the conservation and wise use of wetlands through the Ramsar Convention. In England we are not currently planning to publish a separate National Wetland Strategy but have set out our plan to recover nature and restore our habitats and wetlands in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23), as well as our England Peat Action Plan. We are also meeting our commitments under the Ramsar Convention, as laid out in our Environmental Improvement Plan and the National Adaptation Plan, through establishing a UK Wetland Inventory - mapping our wetlands for the first time and supporting future action to protect these vital habitats. We recognise that wetland restoration will be critical to protect the vast number of wetland species as well as providing critical nature-based solutions to climate change mitigation and adaption. By 2030 we have domestically committed to halt the decline in species abundance and by 2042 we aim to reverse species decline; to reduce the risk of species extinction; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats outside protected sites. Many wetlands are also Protected Sites, of which we have committed to restore 75% to favourable condition by 2042. Alongside setting targets in other areas including water and air quality, we are taking targeted action to recover our wetlands. Our recently announced and government-supported Lost Wetlands Nature Recovery Project will reclaim, restore and rewet a mosaic of wetland habitats over 5,000ha in South Greater Manchester and North Cheshire, previously lost to industrialisation, urbanisation and agricultural intensification. Defra has also launched a 60,000-hectare Nature Recovery Project focusing on the Somerset Wetlands, with the 6,140-hectare super National Nature Reserve at its heart. These projects will enhance connectivity, species recovery and resilience to climate change.

Hunting: Animal Products

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to the e-petition entitled Ban imports of hunting trophies of endangered animals; and whether the Government plans to introduce legislation on that matter in the 2023-24 parliamentary Session.

Rebecca Pow: The Government response to this e-petition was given on 9 January 2024. The Government made a manifesto commitment to ban imports of hunting trophies from endangered animals. We are aware of the Rt Hon. Member for Warley’s Private Member’s Bill on this topic. At this time, we have no further plans to introduce primary legislation on this matter.

Treasury

Financial Services: Advisory Services

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Economic Secretary during the debate on Financial Advice and Guidance: Consumer Market of 9 January 2024, Official Report, column 32WH, when he plans to provide the hon. Member for West Worcestershire with information on whether a specific vote on primary or secondary legislation is required to deal with the proposals in the joint Government and FCA review of the regulatory boundary between financial advice and guidance.

Bim Afolami: The government and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are exploring a range of regulatory and legislative options for implementation and there are elements of the package that could require amendment to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 through secondary legislation. We will consider whether any wider changes to the existing regulatory and legislative regime would be required to deliver the proposals successfully within a coherent broader framework.

No-interest Loans Scheme: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his latest estimate is of when the pilot No Interest Loan Scheme run by Fair4AllFinance will be launched in Northern Ireland.

Bim Afolami: The government funded No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) is being run by Fair4AllFinance, in conjunction with their partners. The pilot is designed to test the impact that NILS could have on addressing the needs of vulnerable consumers across the UK. Fair4All Finance have now rolled out the pilot in England, Scotland and Wales. The lack of an Executive in Northern Ireland has impacted the ability of Fair4All Finance to access lending capital to extend the pilot to Northern Ireland. Fair4All Finance will continue to engage closely with stakeholders in an effort to deliver our shared ambition to launch a pilot site in Northern Ireland.

Individual Savings Accounts: Fees and Charges

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Lifetime ISA withdrawal charges there were in the latest available financial year, broken down by local authority.

Bim Afolami: The number of individuals making unauthorised withdrawals from Lifetime ISAs in the tax year 2022 to 2023 is published in the LISA tables of the HMRC Annual Savings Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2023 Geographical information on Lifetime ISA withdrawals is not reported to HMRC. Matching the Lifetime ISA records to other HMRC data sources with geographical data would be incomplete and could only be done at a disproportionate cost.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take legislative steps to exempt members of the Local Government Pension Scheme from the proposed increase to the national minimum pension age in April 2028.

Laura Trott: The normal minimum pension age is the lowest age at which the majority of members can take benefits from a registered pension scheme without incurring tax charges, except in cases of ill-health. It will increase from age 55 to age 57 in April 2028. This change will not apply to members of the police, firefighters or armed forces public service schemes, nor to those whose scheme rules provide an unqualified right to take benefits before age 57. Members with these rights will have a protected pension age. Whether an individual has a protected pension age will depend on their pension scheme rules. Although the Government keeps all tax rules under review, there are no plans to make any changes to this increase in the normal minimum pension age.

Crown Estate Commissioners: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue was generated by the Crown Estate in Wales by activity area in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

Gareth Davies: The Crown Estate's revenue was £483.3 million for 2021-2022 and £738.7 million for 2022-2023 (as noted on page 116 of the 2022-2023 annual report). Figures are not available for revenue specifically generated in Wales (or activity areas in Wales), as The Crown Estate runs a single set of accounts at an enterprise level and expenditure is incurred for the benefit of the whole portfolio. Full annual accounts can be found in the financial statements section of the 2022-2023 annual report, with reference to the Wales review which highlights The Crown Estate’s work in Wales.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs: Blackpool South

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children with SEND are (a) persistently and (b) severely absent from school in Blackpool South constituency.

Damian Hinds: Information on pupil absence, including breakdowns by pupil characteristics, is published in the ‘Pupil absence in schools in England’ national statistic. This publication for the latest full academic year, 2021/22, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england/2021-22. A pupil is classified as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of their own possible sessions. A pupil is classified as severely absent if they miss 50% or more of their possible sessions. The table below shows the numbers and rates of persistently absent and severely absent pupils in Blackpool South parliamentary constituency by Special Educational Need (SEN) status for the latest full academic year available, 2021/22. Persistent absenteesPersistent absentee %Severe absenteesSevere absentee %SEN Support155433.5342.1Statement or EHCP218932.6183.1 Source: School Census.1 Special Educational Need2 Education, Health and Care Plan. This table excludes a small number of pupils with unclassified SEN status.

Apprentices: Small Businesses

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of the number of SMEs that have recruited (a) 10, (b) between 10 and 20, (c) between 30 and 40 and (d) more than 50 apprentices since April 2023.

Robert Halfon: The below table shows the breakdown of non-levy paying employer accounts, often small and medium-sized enterprises, that have recruited more than ten apprentices since April 2023. Number of starts since April 2023 (grouped)Number of non-levy employer accounts109011-1921420-293330-39640-49150+2

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Social Media: Fraud

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions officials in her Department have had with social media companies on safeguarding users from scams; and what steps she is taking to protect users from scam content.

Saqib Bhatti: My department has regular meetings with online platforms on a number of issues. The Government is committed to protecting users from online scams and fraud, which is why new regulations were introduced through the Online Safety Act.The Act gives user-to-user and search service providers new duties for tackling fraudulent content. They will need to conduct risk assessments and ensure they put in place systems and processes that proactively tackle it. The largest user-to-user and search service providers have additional duties to proactively tackle fraudulent advertising.Ofcom will set out details about how providers can comply with their duties in codes of practice.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment: Equality

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Ministers from his Department have had discussions with Stonewall on recording equality in the workplace.

Mims Davies: There has been no recent discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions Ministers and Stonewall on this subject as this is not within the remit of this department.

Universal Credit

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to permit universal credit data to be shared with local authorities operating a selective licensing housing scheme.

Jo Churchill: DWP is committed to maximising the use of its data, where it is appropriate and legal to do so to meet the primary objectives of: - reducing fraud and error- creating the right incentives to get more people into work- protecting the most vulnerable in our society and- delivering fairness to those claiming benefit and to the taxpayer DWP already shares data with Local Authorities where we have legal powers and a legal basis to do so and where the sharing can be done in compliance with all other UK GDPR requirements.

Remote Working: Disability

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) suitability and (b) availability of remote working jobs for disabled benefit claimants.

Mims Davies: In consulting on the Work Capability Assessment and setting out changes to the assessment from 2025, the department has considered the increase in the broad range of hybrid and home working opportunities over the last decade, alongside better employer understanding of the needs of disabled people and people with health conditions. Responses to the consultation, including from people with health conditions and disabilities and the organisations that support them, highlighted barriers in accessing employment and flexible jobs for disabled people. Our enhanced employment and support offer will help disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in work. Analysis published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that having a disability has little effect on levels of home working. Disabled workers reported similar levels of homeworking only (18%) compared with those without a disability (16%). Sources: Characteristics of homeworkers, Great Britain - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) and Is hybrid working here to stay? - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Universal Credit: Durham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of universal credit (UC) claimants are in receipt of UC housing allowance in (a) Easington constituency and (b) County Durham as of 30 January 2024.

Jo Churchill: Statistics for the number of households on Universal Credit with a housing entitlement in payment, by parliamentary constituency and by local authority, are published every three months on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to August 2023, with statistics to November 2023 due to be published on Tuesday 13th February 2024 at 09:30am. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Indonesia

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Answer of 28 December 2022 to Question 112071 on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Aviation, what the cost was of the accommodation used by the former Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth on his visit to Indonesia from 27 August to 3 September 2022.

Graham Stuart: The Government publishes on gov.uk details of the total cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals). But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad, nor details of those accompanying them.

Net Zero Council

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many times has the Net Zero Council met since May 2023.

Graham Stuart: The Net Zero Council has met four times since it was established in May 2023. Meetings were held in May 2023, July 2023, November 2023, and January 2024.

Aquind: Electricity Interconnectors

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the potential national security risks of the AQUIND Interconnector Project.

Graham Stuart: There have been no such discussions. The Ministry of Defence has contacted the Department at official level requesting additional time to prepare substantive representations setting out its concerns regarding the proposed AQUIND project.

Net Zero Council

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the membership is of the Net Zero Council; and what its objectives are for 2024.

Graham Stuart: I co-chair the Net Zero Council alongside The Co-operative Group CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq. Members include some of the country’s leading businesses and finance firms. A full list is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/net-zero-council. The Council’s key objectives are:Working to ensure major sectors of the economy have a net zero pathway, including looking at barriers and connections across sectors.Leading a systematic review of financing challenges and how these can be addressed.Identifying key challenges facing SMEs and supporting their transition with information and advice.

Planning Authorities: Batteries and Renewable Energy

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to develop the (a) expertise and (b) capabilities of Local Planning Authorities to deliver new (i) renewable generation and (ii) battery projects.

Andrew Bowie: We work closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on addressing Local Planning Authorities’ capabilities, as set out in the Government’s Action Plan for Planning Reform published in March last year, and the Prospectus published in November alongside the Autumn Statement.

Energy Supply: Conferences

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to her Department's press release entitled UK to host new London Energy Security Conference to rewire global energy resilience, published on 10 August 2023, what her planned timetable is for hosting an energy security summit.

Andrew Bowie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Olivia Blake) today to Question UIN 12183.

Environment Protection: Job Creation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her planned timetable is for publishing the Net Zero and Nature Workforce Action Plan.

Amanda Solloway: The Government’s net zero and environmental goals depend on the UK having the right workforce, with the right skills and capacity in the right locations across the UK. To tackle emerging and future workforce demands across the economy, the Government convened the Green Jobs Delivery Group and is focused on the creation of a cross-Government Green Jobs Plan, for publication in the first half of 2024. The Green Jobs Plan will provide Government and industry actions needed to ensure we have a sufficiently skilled workforce to deliver on the Government’s net zero, nature and energy security targets.

Energy Supply: Conferences

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the London Energy Security Conference will take place.

Andrew Bowie: Government now intends to hold the Energy Security Conference in 2025. The Secretary of State will discuss energy security with her international counterparts at events including the International Energy Agency meeting in Paris, the G7 in Turin, and bilateral meetings.

Fossil Fuels: Licensing

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of plans to grant new oil and gas licences.

Graham Stuart: New oil and gas licences will aid the UK’s delivery of net zero, reduce imports of LNG with much higher emissions than UK gas, strengthen UK and European energy security as UK oil is overwhelmingly refined and predominantly consumed in the UK and Europe, will help lower production emissions, manage the decline of production in the basin, support and protect the 200,000 jobs dependent on the industry, preserve tax revenues, strengthen the UK’s balance of payments and retain the skills, expertise, investment, and supply chains needed to support the transition to low carbon and renewable technologies necessary for net zero to be reached by 2050.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many households received the warm home discount rebate in (a) York Central constituency (b) City of York Council and (c) England in each year since 2015.

Amanda Solloway: In 2022/23, 2.22 million households received the warm home discount rebate in England. This includes 2,792 households in the York Central constituency and 4,780 in the York unitary authority. Local area statistics were not available prior to the reform of the scheme with national level figures available in table 17.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/warm-home-discount-statistics

Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of signing up to the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships for Climate Action.

Graham Stuart: The Government already undertakes a significant amount of work at the subnational level to deliver net zero, as outlined in the Net Zero Strategy and Net Zero Growth Plan. The recently announced Local Net Zero Accelerator programme will support local government to attract private sector investment for green growth and will pilot new approaches in three Combined Authorities. The Government has therefore decided not to join the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships for Climate Action at the current time.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Heat Pumps

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the reasons for change in the mean cost of heat pump installations through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Amanda Solloway: With the growth in heat pump demand encouraged by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) in combination with the Clean Heat Market Mechanism, Government expects to see continued real terms cost reductions over time. Government actively engages with installers and suppliers participating in the scheme, and will continue to monitor BUS scheme data, wider industry data, and use the outputs of the BUS evaluation programme to understand price trends.

Department for Transport

Bus Services: Finance

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2024 to Question 8274 on Transport: North Shropshire, how the £1 billion allocated for Bus Service Improvement Plans will be spent in each local authority.

Guy Opperman: The Government asked for every local authority to work with their bus operators to develop a clear, detailed, and ambitious local Bus Service Improvement Plans. Local authorities, working with local operators, will determine how best to support local services.

Bus Services

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Bus Back Better: national bus strategy for England, published on 15 March 2021, what his planned timetable is for the review of the rights of local authorities to set up new municipal bus companies.

Guy Opperman: The Department intends to publish a Call for Evidence , as the first part of a review into whether it remains right that local authorities cannot set up new municipal bus companies.

Fishing Vessels: Safety

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what legal costs were incurred by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for prosecutions relating to the non-wearing of personal flotation devices in the last 12 months.

Guy Opperman: In the past 12 months the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have not prosecuted any individuals or organisations for the non-wearing of personal flotation devices and have not incurred any related legal costs.

Buses: Carbon Emissions

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to publish his Department's response to its consultation entitled Ending the sale of new, non-zero emission buses, coaches and minibuses, published on 26 March 2022.

Guy Opperman: The National Bus Strategy and Transport Decarbonsiation Plan contained a commitment to set a legal end date for the sale of new diesel buses and set an expectation for when the entire bus fleet will be zero-emission. In spring 2022, the Department consulted on determining the exact date for ending the sale of new, non-zero emission buses. Calls for evidence about the decarbonisation of coaches and minibuses were also conducted. We will provide further information in due course.

Bus Lanes

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish a list of civil enforcement areas that were granted to local authorities for the enforcement of bus lanes in 2023.

Guy Opperman: No additional local authorities were granted bus lane enforcement powers in 2023.

Bus Lanes

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the total length of bus lanes per local transport authority.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport does not hold this information.

Fishing Vessels: Surveillance

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many notices were issued to fishing vessel owners following the flights conducted by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in 2023; and what the (a) nature and (b) outcome was of each notice.

Guy Opperman: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) issued 110 notices in 2023 related to breach of the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Personal Protective Equipment) regulation 1999. Out of the 110 notices; 57 resulted in the MCA issuing non-criminal cautions to persons admitting breaching regulations, 15 concluded with no further action taken and 38 are still being investigated.

Wales Office

Physician Associates: Wales

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the Welsh Government on the levels of public awareness of (a) the role and (b) competencies of physician associates in the NHS in Wales.

David T C Davies: I have regular discussions with Welsh Government Ministers on a wide range of issues. As a devolved matter, it is for the Welsh Government to consider the operational deployment of the role of physician associates (PAs) within the NHS workforce in Wales. The UK Government greatly values the work of physician associates (PAs) and is introducing regulation as part of our commitment to the roles and to their place in the multi-disciplinary workforce. The regulation of PAs which is a reserved matter has been subject to extensive public consultation over several years. Throughout the project, UK Government officials have engaged thoroughly with stakeholders including regulators, the devolved administrations, the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, representative bodies and service users in developing the policy behind this legislation. This engagement has been crucial in shaping both UK Government policy intention and the resultant legislation, to ensure that it remains a practical piece of legislation for the benefit of patient safety and registrants. Regulation will give the GMC responsibility and oversight of PAs, allowing it to take a holistic approach to education, training, and standards. Once regulation commences, GMC guidance will apply to PAs.